EUCALYPTUS COSMOPHYLLA. 



" 



F. T. M., in the transactions of the Victorian Institute 1854, p. 32 ; Miquel, in Nederlandisk Kruidkundig Archief 



iv. 134 (1859) ; Bentham, flora Australiensis iii. 226. 



Always shrubby ; leaves of thick consistence, scattered, ovate-lanceolar or sometimes broadly 

 ovate, nearly straight or slightly curved, rarely almost sickleshaped, equally greyish- or pale-green 

 on both sides, not shining ; the lateral veins thin, moderately spreading, not closely approximated, 

 the circumferential vein at some distance from the edge of the leaf; oil-dots much concealed or 

 almost obliterated ; Jlowers rather large, axillary, one to five together on a very short stalk and 

 provided with hardly any or very abbreviated stalklets ; lid almost hemispherical, slightly or 

 sometimes conspicuously pointed, not quite so long as the semiovate faintly angular tube of the 

 calyx ; stamens all fertile, inflexed before expansion ; anthers almost ovate, opening with longi- 

 tudinal slits ; stigma not broader than the style ; fruit semiovate or almost hemispherical, 4- to 

 6-celled ; rim broad ; valves short, convergent, affixed not far below the orifice, enclosed or slightly 

 exserted ; seeds without appendage, the fertile broader than most of the sterile seeds, but not 

 longer and very angular. 



On Mount Lofty and on the surrounding mountains, also on the Bugle-Ranges, occupying 

 dry stony places and forming occasionally the underwood in the forests of E. obliqua (F. v. M.) ; 

 on hills near Encoxmter-Bay (Whittaker) ; on bushy ridges of Kangaroo-Island (Waterhouse). 



A rather tall shrub, seldom somewhat arborescent, flowering already at the height of 

 5 feet. Bark smooth, greyish. Branchlets robust, towards the summit angular. Leaves con- 

 spicuously stalked, attaining a length of 5 inches, and a breadth of 2 inches ; some of their veins 

 rather prominent. Flowerstalks up to % inch long, often variously shorter, angular, but not 

 flattened ; occasionally two flowerstalks from the same axil. Stalklets hardly ever attaining ^ of 

 an inch in length and not rarely quite deficient. Calyces slightly shining and not quite smooth ; 

 the angular lines of its tube (if present) 2 to 3, more prominent towards the base ; lid not angular, 

 not rarely terminating in a short acute pyramidal-conical apex. Anthers dorsifixed, attenuated 

 downward. Style angular. Fruit usually to of an inch but occasionally only inch wide ; 

 rim at last convex from the protrusion of the discal lining beyond the margin of the calyx-tube. 

 Disc between the stamens and style during the time of flowering intensely yellow, almost orange, 

 becoming black-brown afterwards. Fertile seeds black, slightly rough, hardly or not fully one 

 line long. 



I recorded the seedlings (fragmenta phytographiie Australia vii. 43) as smooth, with not 

 angular stem and small mostly opposite oblong leaves on short stalks. 



This Eucalyptus derived its specific name from its handsome foliage, the boughs with leathery- 

 rigid not quickly fading leaves serving for rustic decorative purposes, as noticed by me already in 

 1848. 



Bentham placed it near E. alpina, from which the more pointed generally elongated and not 

 shining leaves, the presence of flowerstalks, the larger flowers, smooth calyces with thinner lids, 

 the oval anthers and the less hemispheric fruits readily distinguish it. E. cosmophylla might be 

 likened also to the still more ornamental E. Preissiana, but that species has often partially 

 opposite or nearly opposite mostly quite blunt and still thicker leaves of more vivid and somewhat 

 shining verdure, its flowerstalks are generally longer and always broadly compressed and at first 

 turned downward, the flowers and fruits are in most instances larger, sometimes much so, the 



